All too aware of how ‘wimmins’ groups’ can be perceived,Sound Women’s launch videoended with the jokey promise: “Join us (we won’t break your balls)”.

And I can confirm, 12 months on, no balls have been broken – massaged a little yes – but not broken.

Sound Women, created by executive radio producer Maria Williams last October, had the best possible start – and as with all great things, its timing was perfect.

Born in the 'year of the lad'

The Sony Radio Academy awards 2011 had just been christened ‘the year of the lad’ – with TalkSport winning station of the year, Absolute Radio jocks Frank Skinner and Ronnie Wood bagging gongs and 5Live’s Fighting Talk winning over the judges.

The British public and politicians alike had woken up to the fact the Radio 4’s flagship programme, Today, was totally dominated by men – as were most of the airwaves.

Something was definitely in the air, and Sound Women had the figures to prove it. Working with Skillset, the newly formed pressure group found that some 84 per cent of reporters and guests on Today are men.

Speaking at the Oxford Media Convention last year, Mr Vaizeysaid: “My point is I don’t think an organisation like this [Sound Women] would come out of thin air unless there was a genuine problem.”

The Sound Women report also found:

• On average women working in radio are paid £2,200 less then men every year

• 10 per cent of studio operators are female

• 1 per cent of editors are female

• Only 16 per cent of women working in radio are living with dependent children

• After the age of 35, women leave the radio industry in droves – while 60 per cent of men working in the field are over 35

• There is only one solo female breakfast presenter on local BBC radio

Unsurprisingly a whole host of high profile presenters and radio figures joined and got behindSound Women– including: Radio 1 legend Annie Nightingale, Radio 4 Woman’s Hour co-presenter Jane Garvey, Magic 105.4’s drive time host (the only solo female one on commercial radio no less), Angie Greaves and Radio 1’s Annie Mac.

Angie Greaves presents Magic 105.4's drive-time show.

They even got Tim Davie, the BBC’s radio chief, wearing a Sound Women badge. Men can be Sound Women too, an energised Maria Williams reminds me.

And since the launch, Sound Women has begun training sessions, a mentoring scheme with the BBC Academy (for 30 mentees - headed up by Natasha Maw, the Beeb’s Programme Manager for Radio Training) put on several really well-received networking events around the country and been bending the ear of radio’s top brass.

"We dont want quotas"

But have the figures changed? And does Sound Women, now more than 850-strong, support quotas?

Williams, much to my relief, says ‘no’ to quotas.

“We think things are improving and will have some new figures soon. Right now 46 per cent of the radio industry is female. However, there is this huge exodus of women once they reach the age of 35. And we are working hard to find out why and how we can stop it.

“Sound Women is only one year in. We are very much looking to do this properly and change the industry long term. Quotas are about a quick fix and that’s not what we want. It is more about creative hiring and people thinking outside of the box when they put people in positions,” she explains.

Jane Garvey, now a mentor to Helen Blaby, lunchtime presenter on BBC Radio Northampton, as part of the Sound Women and BBC Academy mentoring scheme, is more pensive when it comes to quotas but stops short of fully supporting them.

“I am intrigued by them. I just believe radio should reflect society. And the fact that more women listen to radio than men, but there are no where near as many women on air or in senior editing roles, just doesn’t seem right,” she says.

“Many would say that if you introduced quotas of women, we would end up with s*** female presenters – but there are plenty of s*** male presenters all over the show. I just think we need to challenge these male bosses as to why they don’t seem to hire women.

“We all know why most women leave the industry around 35 – it’s because of inflexible working hours and children.

“Women mustn’t moan and instead, need to play men at their own game and get networking. That’s what men do so much better than us.”

Mentoring pays off

Blaby, 38, says her sessions with Garvey have been invaluable and she has become like a ‘big sister’ to her. A former travel reporter on Five Live, Blaby didn’t wish to be pigeon-holed into that area and so took the rare and risky step of leaving a national network for a presenting role in local radio.

Jane Garvey

Since being mentored by Garvey, Blaby says doors have opened for her and she has now pitched a programme idea to BBC Radio 2.

Garvey, a former 5Live presenter (in fact the first person to ever speak on the station), says she is awe of how much Blaby has to do herself, especially seeing as she is “nurse-maided through two lots of 45 minutes of radio” as co-presenter of Woman’s Hour each week.

Women presenters are good for the bottom line in commercial radio

Angie Greaves, the drive-time presenter of Magic, thinks that nothing has ever really had to change in terms of equal representation of women in radio, because it hasn’t been seen as broken – so there has been no need to fix it – until now.

“Female presenters have always tended to be the weather girls or side kicks to the men. I think Sound Women has shone a light on this and proven to bosses that some change is needed,” Greaves enthuses in her unmistakable rich smooth voice.

Women do have to be careful, especially in speech radio, not to shriek on air she warns - while men always get away with bellowing (something I can attest to with my LBC 97.3 presenter's hat on). It's just slightly different rules for the genders in this respect.

Interestingly Greaves also thinks more female presenters are good for commercial radio’s bottom line.

“Different types of advertisers and sponsors suddenly come on board when a woman is hosting the show. Maybe a woman's touch is different and I think this is an interesting element for radio chiefs to take on board.”

The future of Sound Women

Williams is excitedly planning Sound Women’s next 12 months: some Sound Women awards, more training, conferences and networking events are on the horizon and crucially – some clever collaborations with the BBC and commercial radio industry around the country – to keep these issues top of mind. And to inspire more ‘creative hiring’.

Maria Williams, the founder of Sound Women.

She is also determined to find out why there is this exodus of women aged 35 and over out of the radio industry and help bosses keep this valuable pool of talent.

Joblessness affects all

However, the one sad element the powerhouse that is Williams and Sound Women just cant change is how few jobs there are for the young hopefuls – both female and male – trying to get a foot in the door.

One mentee, Grace Huber, a young station manager for developmental station Roundhouse Radio (based in Camden), has had a brilliant time being mentored by Joanne Coombs, manager of production company, Loftus Audio.

However, despite the enlightening experience, Huber has now left Roundhouse Radio and is still searching for employment.

“I became a part of Sound Women to join up with inspirational women, to steer new courses for women in the audio industry and to help shape my own future,” Huber says.

“It is not to say this cause is unworthy, but in terms of mine own career I have come to realise it is not my gender that stands in the way. The fact is there are very few jobs and those entry-level jobs that do exist are financially unsustainable.

“I’m not without hope, and I know with continued energy and Jo’s excellent guidance it could all turn out well. However, I believe there are larger questions we all need to address.

“Schemes and mentors are brilliant, and support is of course crucial, but what myself and my peers need is action, and for us this means jobs.”

Get focusing on that ego

A brilliantly bullish Garvey, who counts herself as “very lucky indeed” with the opportunities her career has presented, has some fine advice for young women hopefuls everywhere, including Huber: “Women need be ruthless about planning their careers. Men do this and networking their way into new jobs. And some women do too. But it needs to become the norm. Women seem more reluctant to plan.

“Women need to focus on their egos and not their insecurities. Everyone needs a leg-up. Men do it all the time – standing around in their little clusters in the newsrooms and pub after work.”

Sound Women is fast becoming the cluster all women in radio across the UK, and a healthy sprinkling of men (with their balls happily intact), want to be a part of.